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GOP senators derail Interior nominee

Senate Republicans showed again why Democrats are so desperate to make Al Franken their 60th vote.
In a 57-39 vote, Democrats fell just short of the 60 votes needed to confirm David Hayes as the No. 2 official at the Department of Interior. Hayes — criticized by Western Republicans for proposals to yank oil drilling leases on public lands — is the first Obama nominee to be stopped by GOP opposition.

“What we have today is a classic hostage-taking,” Sen. Evan Bayh (D-Ind.) said Wednesday. “This just deepens the cynicism about business as usual in Washington.”

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Interior Secretary Ken Salazar came to the Capitol to watch the vote, and he brushed it off as a temporary setback, saying that he was “more deeply resolved today than ever” to move the Hayes nomination forward.

Republican Sens. Bob Bennett of Utah and Lisa Murkowski of Alaska have led the opposition to Hayes. Both have raised questions about the Obama administration’s plans for gas development.

Readers' Comments (6)

Republican Sens. Bob Bennett of Utah and Lisa Murkowski of Alaska have led the opposition to Hayes. Both have raised questions about the Obama administration’s plans for gas development.

I would also like to know the Obama administration's plan for gas development. There have been recent finds of huge natural gas supplies in Louisiana and Texas. Are we going to just let this sit in the ground while we import from countries that hate us?

What happened to Obama's "all of the above" approach to energy that he preached during the campaign? We cannot supply the entire country's fuel needs with wind turbines and solar. The environmental nuts are now even complaining about these two alternatives.